Lebanese woman sentenced to 8 years for insulting Egyptians on Facebook

CAIRO – 7 July 2018: The Egyptian Misdemeanor Court sentenced Lebanese woman Mona al-Mazbouh on Saturday to 8 years in prison, after accusing her of offending Egyptians and cursing the country through a video that went viral on social media.

The court reduced the penalty from 11 to 8 years in prison, further imposing a fine of EGP 10,700. Egypt’s security forces arrested al-Mazbouh on Thursday in Egypt, following a decision by Egyptian attorney-general.

The attorney-general decided to refer the accused al-Mazbouh to an urgent criminal trial for deliberately broadcasting rumors that would harm the community; this is in addition to her producing content considered a disgrace to public modesty through her Facebook page.

Al-Mazbouh posted a video on her Facebook account recounting a verbal sexual harassment incident she experienced while on vacation in Cairo.

The arresting of the Lebanese woman came in line with an official complaint issued by lawyer Amr Abdel Salam accusing Al-Mazbouh with insulting Egyptians, the state and the president, since her video included foul language.
Lawyer Amr Abdel Salam told BBC Trending that Mona’s actions are considered a crime of slander and libel according to the Egyptian penal code, articles from 302 to 308, and its penalty is a jail sentence and a financial penalty.

Before being arrested on Tuesday, Al-Mazbouh posted a more apologetic video to her Facebook account.

“I definitely didn’t mean to offend all Egyptians, and I never meant to say anything about the country’s political affairs,” Al-Mazbouh stated in her second video. She added that most of her first video was narrated in a Lebanese accent, and that is why most Egyptians didn’t understand what she was saying correctly. She also denied claims that she was paid to record the video.

“I love all Egyptians and I love this country, that’s why I visited it more than once and I keep coming back,” Al-Mazbouh concluded.

Mona Al-Mazbouh’s lawyer, Emad kamal Habib, told the court this Mona is suffering from a neurological disorder as a result of a brain disease she was diagnosed with at the age of 12, limiting her ability to properly control her actions.